PAWNEE, Ill. (WAND) - The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued an operating permit to EmberClear, a Texas-based company, to build a new methane gas plant in Pawnee, Illinois.
The permit issued Monday will allow the Lincoln Land Energy Center, which will run on methane, a greenhouse gas that traps more heat than carbon dioxide, to emit 3.5 million tons of carbon pollution every year.
The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition claims the decision undermines Illinois’ climate progress and is out of line with the clean energy goals outlined in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act which was signed into law last year.
The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition released the following statement:
“The newly approved construction of the Lincoln Land Energy Center is disappointing and out of step with the immediate needs of Ameren customers and the climate goals supported by the majority of Illinoisans. Fossil fuel price spikes and costly coal plants have increased energy market volatility, which has increased utility bills for downstate families. Simply put, the construction of a $1 billion new gas plant that emits 3.5 million tons of dirty pollution each year is an expensive and unhealthy choice for the future of our communities and climate.
“It is resoundingly clear that clean energy, not dirty and expensive gas, is the best resource to strengthen our power grid and deliver consumer savings and price stability. Thanks to the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), Illinois is already increasing the development of clean energy projects in central and downstate communities with 1,050 MW of wind and solar currently under construction. Over 6,000 MW of solar projects are awaiting various points of approval from Ameren and the grid operator, and we need to accelerate the deployment of these projects as soon as possible.”
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